Vol 12, Issue 14

Vol. 12 Issue 14

Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore

December 06, 2012

Protests erupt against SC directive

Photo: Krishna Prasad S

Poor packaging procedure leaves workers unhappy. >Page 2

Protesters shouting slogans against the Supreme Court order instructing Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu for five days.

By Krishna Prasad S very Hitharakshana Samithi, stantly monitored the situation contempt. We will not allow water PROTESTS sparked all across Karnataka, against the Supreme Court’s direction to release water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu for five days.

The Supreme Court, on December 5, instructed Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu over the next five days.

The Bangalore-Mysore highway saw a series of protests and road blocks from Mandya to Mysore.

Karnataka Navanirman Sena showed their agitation by burning tyres in Mandya and shouting slogans against Jayalalitha and Tamil Nadu.

Prohibitions have been imposed near the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir which forbids more than five persons to assemble in one place.

The farmers along with G. Madegowda, President of Cau-

said: “We have decided not to take control of the KRS dam and also advised the state to file a reexamine petition to the Supreme Court.”

Speaking to G. Madegowda, Chief Minister Jagadeesh Shettar said he would examine the legal possibilities and file a review petition to the SC. The CM also said that the issue would be discussed in the winter session at Belgaum today.

Following the talk with CM, Madegowda said: “We have spoken to the CM and he has assured us that he would consider filing a review petition. We will peacefully protest all over the state.”

Jaya Karnataka, a Kannada activist group staged protests at Ramnagar on BM highway by burning tyres and burning the effigy of Jayalalitha.

Troops of policemen con-

around the affected areas.

A Jaya Karnataka activist said: “This has been happening for years. Why don’t we come up with a permanent solution to this?”

He added: “47 districts in Karnataka under the Cauvery basin alone have been severely hit by drought. We are not going to take this anymore.”

Nanjunde Gowda, a farmer from Mandya, said: “We are protesting in front of the Commissioner’s office. We are not happy with the decision.”

He added: “The state government has to file a review petition, failing which there is going to be a strong protest in the state.”

Chandrashekhar, head of the Raitha Sangha said that going against the Supreme Court’s decision would invite contempt of court proceedings.

He said: “We don’t care if it is

to be released to Tamil Nadu.

Both Chief Ministers are only interested in power and don’t think about the farmers or the poor.

He added: “Mettur Dam is already full. Rains have lashed Tamil Nadu, and now they want water when there is a severe drought in Karnataka.This is not fair.”

The Cauvery Monitoring Committee is holding a meeting tomorrow in New Delhi at 3:05 p.m. to discuss the issue.

Officials from Water Resources Department of various states are attending the meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue.

Madegowda said: "We have requested the chief minister to file a review petition. We will wait until tomorrow. Till then we will peacefully protest. If no action is taken against this issue, we have plans to stage a protest in front of Krishna raja Sagara reservoir."

Girl caught cheating, attempts suicide A second year student at St. Joseph’s Composite Pre-University College , attempted suicide today.

“Sharanya (16) was caught copying from a piece of paper in the exam by a professor. Fearing the matter would go to her parents, she jumped off the third floor of the college,” said Susheel Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police- Law & Order based on eye-witness reports.

Sharanya was immediately rushed to Mallya Hospital for treatment and is now in the Intensive Care Unit.

Kanchan Sanyal, the Chief Medical Representative at the Mallya Hospital, said: “Her condition seems to be improving.

There is no threat to her life any-

Photo: Sruti Ghoshal

By Krishna Prasad & Sruti Ghoshal

St. Joseph’s Composite Pre-University College. more. She has fractured her right hand and there are minor internal injuries to the liver and kidneys.”

The Cubbon Park police are investigating the case. According to their preliminary investigations, the police doubt a case of attempted suicide.

Students inside the college were not allowed to go out of the college neither was media allowed to enter the premises.

The college authorities claim that she was standing on the third floor of the college and slipped due to which she was hurt.

Manoj, a classmate of Sharanya said: “There is no chance of slipping here. I was there when the incident happened.”

He added: “She attempted suicide by jumping off from the third floor.”

Father Gilbert, Principal, said: “I do not know how this happened. Everyone was writing exams when Sharanya suddenly walked out of the examination hall.”

Sharanya’s parents, who rushed to the hospital after hearing the news, refused to make any comment on the cheating incident.

Her parents, said: “Sharanya had not slept in the last two days and was studying the whole night.”

The police hope to come out with a confirmed response soon.

World Disabled Day observed in the city. >Page 3

Reservation system helps dalits, claims BJP. >Page 5

Ban on IOA disappoints Indian players. > Page 5

Underwater photography exhibited in the city. >Page 6

Clifford faces child sex abuse charges

By Rohan D Premkumar

HIGH-profile English publicist, Max Clifford, is the latest personality to be accused of sexually abusing children.

Clifford, 59, was picked up by police on suspicion of sexual abuse of minors. The arrest comes after the initiation of Operation Yewtree, an investigation launched by the U.K. Police into alleged sexual abuse of children by former BBC presenter, Jimmy Savile.

Clifford was the chief publicist for many of television’s biggest names, including Simon Cowell, David Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Shilpa Shetty.

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The Weekly Observer

December 06, 2012

Photo:Sumit

Road accident leaves rider in coma

The aftermath of the crash at Lake Road

By Sumit was headed towards the Outer A crash between a motorcycle and an SUV on the Lake Road this morning left the bike rider comatose state.

The motorcycle and its rider had to be pulled out from under the SUV at the accident site.

Hemant.A, a resident of BTM Layout, was heading towards his home when his motorcycle collided with the SUV. “The SUV

Ring Road when all of a sudden it jumped the make-shift divider to come to the other side of the road,” said N. Venkat, a traffic cop present at the accident site.

Residents from the neighboring apartments pulled out the body from beneath the SUV. The driver of the SUV and a friend of Hemant took him to Apollo Hospital in Bannerghatta Road.

The hospital authorities said that had suffered near fatal injuries. “He has lost a lot of blood and is suffering from injuries in brain,” said Dr. K Narayanmurthy, the doctor operating on him.

The Lake Road has become a common accident zone recently. “Since the road remains deserted most of the time, cab drivers and motorcyclists find it a convenient place for speeding up. Minor accidents are very common here as the vehicles try to overtake each other,” said Arvind, one of the onlookers.

The make-shift divider on this road does not help much in maintaining the traffic.

The traffic cop present at the site said: “This accident is a result of negligence on the part of the four-wheel vehicle driver. We can’t help reduce the number of accidents as long as citizens refuse to become more aware and responsible.”

The biker was still in a comatose condition as the Observer went to press.

Book on Babri Masjid launched, coincides with Black Day

By Sumit A book on the 20th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition was launched in Bangalore today.

Author G. Rajashekhar timed the publication to coincide with the anniversary and it was launched on the day by veteran freedom fighter H.S. Durraiswamy.

The event started with a speech by Mr. K.L Ashok, State Secretary of the Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum. “In the present scenario, where incidents like Godhra can happen, can a person like Mr. Narendra Modi be termed as secular?” asked Mr. Ashok.

He added: “The Babri Masjid demolition was not the demolition of a masonry structure. It was secularism and humanity that was demolished on the fateful day of December in 1992.”

The event coincided with the demolition of the masjid.

“Babri Masjid: Demolition & Fascist Tendencies in Existing Models” was launched on Thursday at the Hamid Shaw complex in the city.

A fact finding report on the Mangalore Home stay incident by People’s Union for Civil Liberty, Karnataka was launched at the same time.

The event saw the assemblage of social workers and activists from various organizations such as Tipu Sultan Samiote and the Alternative Law Forum. The, a collective effort of 140 organizations in Bangalore organized this book launch.

In his speech Mr. Ashok also talked about the Mangalore Home Stay attacks. The role of police and media was also scrutinized.

The event ended on the note of Hindu Muslim unity..

Players disappointed with the ban on Indian Olympic Association A Bangalore sportsman says he will be disappointed if he is forced to compete under an Olympic flag.

A ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is a shameful incident for India and sports.

Rakesh Manpat, member of nation rifle shooting team, said: “The ban imposed means that India can no longer take part in any of the major international events. It also means the players cannot represent India in any major event but they can participate individually under Independent Olympic Association and under the flag of IOC, bearing their own expenses.”

Due to the ban imposed, no official from India will be invited by the IOC for any event.

Dhiman Sarkar, Chief Sports Editor, Hindustan Times, said:

“IOA has been suspended by the IOC because IOA did not follow the Olympic Charter and was instead following the Sports Code of government for elections.”

Photo: Udita Chaturvedi

By Udita & Madhav

National rifle shooter, Rakesh Manpat, in a shooting range.

He added: “The ban is for an indefinite period, it may end tomorrow or it may never end though things are moving in the direction of negotiations.”

Indian sportspersons are looking towards a negotiation.

Manpat said: “If the issue is resolved we can hope there will be no corruption in the future. If I win a medal independently and not for my country, I will not feel satisfied.”

The ban imposed on India has tarnished the image of the country, say sportspersons.

Kiran More, Indian cricket team (1984-1993), said: “It is very sad for all Indian sportspersons whatever has happened. The government is trying to handle the situation. They should form a new body which must include

Olympians in the committee.”

So far, players can only hope that the IOC lifts the ban soon so that they can represent their country in international events.

“Even if I win a medal independently and not for my country, I will not feel satisfied.”

Company faces agitation from workers on packaging issues STATE subsidised milk has been supplied although it is over a year out of date.

That was the claim made at a meeting of angry milk agents today.

One agent, Gita, held up two pouches of milk and said: “The manufacture date on the pouch shows 2011 but the pouch is being supplied in 2012.”

Another angry agent, Mr. Suresh Kumar, said: ”The place where the pouches of milk are stocked is not properly monitored or maintained. “ He added:“Pouches which are stored as old stock are also supplied.When the agents disagree to take the old pouches, they force them to sell them to the consumers.”

The company does not allow the agents to return the unsold pouches of milk.

Nandini brand retailers and suppliers complained against the company head for mismanagement and improper consideration for the damage caused during in production.

The retailers expressed their grievances today in front of the Chairman, Mr. C Manjunath. A program was conducted today addressing the demand and views of the retailers and agents.

The retailers said that they have been voicing out their concerns for long against the disputes that maligned the whole production procedure. It not only affected their provision but also has slowed down the overall financial growth.

Mr. C Manjunath said: “40 lakh pouches are supplied all over Bangalore city and from it 0.34% are found damaged.” The retailers said that the main reason of this damage is poor packaging procedure.

Nandini Milk is an established brand for milk products under the banner of the Karnataka Milk Federation and caters to the majority of population in Karnataka.

Dr. Krishnegowda, an employee of the quality control deptartment, tried to console and motivate the retailers by staging many inspiring videos. The sole purpose was to make them understand the business procedure in a better way and also how to generate profit.

The program started with a brief intro, followed by some dances and songs. The crowd was in large number of agents and dealers.

Mr. Manjunath said: “There was some scarcity in milk supply few months back and now things have improved.” He added:

“There are two seasons of milk supply; one is lean season and another is flush season. The lean season usually sees scarcity in supply but with the arrival of flush season supply increases massively.”

Krishnegowda said: “There was a brief period of scarcity in

the supply but we have recovered from it. There was stagnancy in price and with this prime fact there was a slowdown in the market. But government has provided subsidy to overcome the crisis.”

One of the agents, Mr. Raju said: “There is a lot of damage in

packaging mostly due to leakages and using cheap material for packaging, the damages occur frequently.”

He added: “Though they are giving commission but the amount is not sufficient. We want the managing committee to act more seriously.”

Photo: Priyanka Roy

By Priyanka Roy

Chairman of Nandini Milk Products, C Manjunath and other dignitaries inaugurating the event.

The Weekly Observer

The disabled children present at Balamela. right to lead a normal life like

By Shreya Mujherjee THE World Disabled Day seminar urged the need for higher education among visually challenged children.

The National Association for the Blind (NAB) conducted ‘Balamela’ which is an annual event which benefits the visually impaired children.

Sightsaver, a leading global development organization, is also working with the NAB to restore their sight.

They also work for the rights and needs of those with irreversible visual impairment.

Site development officer of Sightsaver, Mrs. Sacchu Ramalinga said: “It is a happy moment for me to address the crowd over here. We started a district based program for visually challenged children from Gulbarga.”

“We want social inclusion for these special children. It is their

other kids. Schools should have all kinds of facilities for these visually impaired children,” she added.

K.M. Nagaraju, the President of NAB said: “This is my privilege to be a part of this wonderful event. We try to create opportunities for those who are visually challenged.”

He added: “Balamela is known to have pioneered a movement that may be regarded as a blue-print for all other towns and cities to emulate, highlighting the condition of children by creating an event that forces society to stand up and view for themselves the needs and social conditions of these unseen masses”.

Visually challenged school going children from districts like Gulbarga, Chamarajanagar and Hassan are brought under one banner during this event.

Mrs. Ramalinga said: “In Gul-

India has the highest number of people who defecate in the open, says the U. N.

By Sakshi Saxena

Photo: Udita Chaturvedi

No toilets for girls in half of Karnataka’s schools

ALMOST half the girls in Karnataka schools have no access to female-only toilets.

Located in Shivajinagar, the Kannada- medium school, Hafzia Higher Elementary School has poor hygiene standards and lacks basic facilities. Apart from this, the school doesn’t have a proper toilet for girls.

Provision of such facilities is stipulated in the Right to Education Act. Reena, a sixth-grade student, said: “There are no proper toilets for girls in our school, and we face lot of problems during school hours.”

The situation is no different at the Government Urdu Primary School in Malleshwaram, which has a playground, but not a single toilet for girl students in the school.

“We had separate toilet for girls but it collapsed a few days ago. The process of reconstructing the toilet is under progress,” the principal of the school said.

According to information provided by officials of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan free-education program, only 56 percent of the schools in Karnataka had sepa-

rate toilets for girls as of 2011 and there has been an 11 percent increase in dropout rates in secondary education in government schools from 2009 to 2011.

Not only this, there has been a constant fall in the enrolment rate in secondary education as well.

Blaming lack of proper toilets in schools as the major reason for an increase in number of dropout rates, a spokesperson from NGO called Child Rights and You (CRY) said that around 30 percent of the girls in Karnataka has either not gone to school or are dropouts.

Prabha Alexander, junior education officer, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, said: “The funds are always given to schools, but the school authorities should make proper use of them in providing basic infrastructural facilities, especially toilets for girls.”

A survey conducted amongst parents by CRY in 2011 in various cities, including Bangalore, states that “toilets remain the single most commonly voiced concern for girl students and their parents across India among the lower-income group.”

The secondary data of the survey states that 44 percent of schools covered by the RTE Act have separate toilet facilities for girls.

In the rest, girls need to run to the nearby fields or run back to their homes to use the toilets.

The RTE act, which came into force on April 1, 2009, requires all the schools to abide by the given infrastructure rules within three years.

The last date to meet the infrastructural norms mentioned in the act is March 31, 2013.

barga, visually impaired children go to normal schools which have integrated courses for them.

They compete with the other normal children.

“They take part in every activity. Our mission is to provide them such opportunities with which they can move from rural life to holistic life,” she added.

Anand Bhaskar, Vice President of Sapient, the principle sponsor for Balamela said: “I am privileged and honoured to be here. It is extremely touching.

NAB is contributing to the society at large. In our company, we have Sapient Silent Auction in which each and every employee donates for this noble cause.”

“It is an incredible opportunity for these kids to stand on their own feet in life and to create their own individual identity. They have a right to live a normal life. We all are trying to create identity for visually impaired children,” he added.

Balamela has contributed to increasing awareness in the children and creates alliance for children’s development, meeting their basic needs and realizing their basic rights.

This helps in getting the necessary care for them to have the best start in life.

It also gave them a chance to perform onstage, for the first time, cultural and entertainment programmes, games, medical and health check ups.

Father of the constitution remembered

By Deepu Aby Verghese THE 57th death anniversary of B R Ambedkar was observed at the Bangalore University today.

The event was inaugurated

by Dr. N Rangaswamy, Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University.

At the function that was conducted in the Bangalore University’s Jnanabharati campus, Chief Guest for the day, Dr. Surendra Nath, a Dalit activist, spoke.

He stressed the importance of empowering the oppressed classes of society.

He hailed Dr. Ambedkar and elaborated on his struggles to eradicate caste based inequality in the society.

“The man who fought for the equality of all men, the man who

brought back Buddha who was on exile- It is very clear that no other man can even be declared parallel to Ambedkar baba,” said Dr. Surendra Nath.

“Ambedkar’s constitution of India was looked upon as the part of his struggle to erase injustice and inequality from society.

“Formulating the largest written constitution of the world he believed equality in life can be exercised,” added Dr. Surendra Nath.

Besides the fact that the event was aimed at observing Dr. B R Ambedkar’s death anniversary, the event also sought to formally introduce the recently instilled Registrar of Bangalore University.

The newly appointed registrar of Bangalore University, Dr. T D Kemparaju, presided over the function this morning.

Dr. N Rangaswamy lighting the lamp in memory of Dr. Ambedkar

Scientists solve mystery of missing sunspots

By Rohan Premkumar THE mysterious disappearance of sunspots, which was one of the long standing mysteries connected with the sun, may have been solved.

Sunspots are magnetic storms which form on the face of the sun. Over the last few decades, scientists have found that the number and intensity of sunspots have been on the decline.

The reasons have been widely debated. But according to new research coming out of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the disappearance of sunspots might be because of a relatively calm period of solar activity, called the “grand minimum”.

Sunspots and solar flares, which are eruptions of magnetic energy from sunspots, are important to understand due to a variety of reasons.

A large solar storm could wipe out communication networks, satellites and electrical grids around the world.

“Solar flares, by definition, are bad news. So our ability to understand them could help protect our technology,” said Bidya

Karak, a Ph.D student who authored the thesis.

“In the 17th century, the sun went into a grand minimum which lasted for more than half a century, called the Maunder minimum,” he said. The grand minimum, says Karak, is a cycle which runs approximately for 11 years.

The researchers also speculate that the lull in solar activity could affect the earth’s climate.

“During the period of the Maunder minimum, many countries across the world experienced unusually cold weather. So it certainly seems that the grand minimum cycle has an effect on the climate,” said Arnab Rai Choudhuri, professor at the IISc and co-author of the thesis.

Karak added: “Though we have no direct studies linking the solar minima of the 17th century to a cooler global climate, samples from ice cores in places like China have revealed that the period during this cycle produced very cold climates in many parts of the world.”

The causes for the Sun’s grand minimum cycles have been narrowed down to meridional cycles.

Photo: Robin Sinha

Photo: Shreya Mukherjee

Need for education among visually challenged children

03

Photo: Deepu Aby Varghese

December 06, 2012

There have been no grand minima cycles since the 17th century.

These cycles carry magnetic fields to the surface of the sun. If the intensity of these fields exceed 3000 – 4000 gauss units, sunspots are formed.

The gauss unit is used to describe the density of magnetic flux. To put the strength of the magnetic field of a sunspot in perspective, a small iron magnet possesses the equivalent of 100 gauss units.

For a sunspot to be sustained, a minimum of 3000 - 4000 gauss units of magnetic flux need to be generated by the sun’s magnetic conveyor belt.

According to Bidya Karak however, the sun is currently undergoing an extremely subdued period of activity; and as a result, the meridional flows have reduced in intensity, leading to the reduction in the number of sunspots and solar flare events on its surface.

Karak and Prof. Arnab Choudhuri claim that by using a flux transport dynamo model, they were able to obtain results which were “remarkably close to observational data” on the solar variation cycles.

Responding to reports in other scientific studies that claim solar spots could disappear completely in the coming years, Arnab Choudhuri said, “These reports are based on some intriguing data that has been obtained, which show the magnetic field of the sunspots has become weaker in the last 10 – 15 years.”

However, Choudhuri went onto add that these sets of data have “very large error bars” and said that authors of these papers themselves were extremely reticent about releasing their findings and making conjectures.

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The Weekly Observer

December 06, 2012

Police take cut from juvenile delinquents, claims child rights trust

Most delinquents face abuse from the police as well as care-givers at home.

She also asked for imposing a penalty of Rupees 1,15,000 for detaining a minor child and violating the law.”

There is only one Juvenile home for boys in the city, in Madiwala. These boys are brought to this home by the organisations like KSCPCR and Child Right Trust.

Advocate, Mr. Vasant Kumar, who is jointly working with KSCPCR, said: “The police officers are equally guilty. They provoke the juvenile home staffs for training children for such crimes.

They often make huge profit from the money stolen by the children.

They get 50% share of the stolen amount.”

He added: “These police don’t even bother to monitor these homes or verify if the children are tortured inside the home.

“Whenever incidents are disclosed, they try to suppress it by

punishing the children.”

Juvenile Justice Act states that children aged below 17 are neither allowed to be detained nor be interrogated. These children are neither allowed to be imprisoned.

“The act lays down certain rules to be followed while dealing with a juvenile delinquent. Even if a child is found guilty he or she can’t be given any kind of punishment.

Mr. Rao said: “The police openly violate the rule. They are not properly aware of the Act. They also never conduct any monitoring inside the homes.

Moreover the police officers take bribes from these children and get share from the stolen amount.”

He added: “According to the Act, there is no punishment for children. But in spite of that children are tortured by the officers.

Bangalore is best Indian city to live in; says American firm

By Vintu Augustine AN American Global Human Resource Firm has ranked Bangalore as the best city in India to live in based on living conditions.

Mercer, the HR Consultancy did the survey analyzing 39 factors grouped into 10 categories.

Some of them included political, social, economic, cultural, medical and educational environments.

From a rank of 141 in 2001, Bangalore has notched up to 139 in Tuesday’s index. The Mercer’s index was brought out covering 221 cities from all over the world against New York as the base.

The results did not include an Indian city in the top 100 countries that the firm conducted a survey on.

Now here are a few quotes of people from different parts of Bangalore belonging to a variety of backgrounds that reflect the feel of Bangaloreans; “Life in Bangalore is so cheap. I am able to have my lunch just with 30 rupees. Where else in a big city like Bangalore can I have that,” said Mr. Gangadhar, the proprietor of Sri Balaji Sign Systems.

“Availability of basic necessities and medical facilities all over is a very good thing about Bangalore. Land and apartments are

easily accessible to settle down and comparatively there is only very less cheating in Bangalore.

I love the city,” said Mr. Nayak Harshal, manufacturing and facilities Manager, Molex India, a US based company at Whitefield.

In spite of the fact that there are numerous hospitals around, Bangalore is an unhealthy city to live. The city is alarmingly polluted and dirty. The roads are not great and the public transport system does not answer the need,” said Mr. Sineesh Simon, an HR Professional, Bangalore “Bangalore has easy accessibility from all the states around and the climate is lovely,” said Aji, Rosmi and Jemi, three nurses at Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, Bangalore.

“There’s a great scope and opportunity for small scale business too, in Bangalore, given the increase of population every minute,” said Manoj, a bakery owner.

“The No. 1 ranking is going to enhance the presence of foreign companies in Bangalore and take the name of Bangalore as an ‘IT hub’ further,” said Mr. M.J. Jinesh, a software engineer with IBM. “Bangalore is a nice place with cool and serene atmosphere and sufficient greenery. It has great atmosphere and environment for education,” said Keerthi-

“They are coaxed, harassed and threatened to keep mum.

Many police officers even take these children to other places away from their police station, so that they can continue persecuting over them secretly.”

In the month of July, a minor boy was detained by the police officer and was locked inside the jail, and was charged with stealing and pick-pocketing.

The news was highlighted with the intervention of Ms. Nina P Nayak.

She went up to high court with the case, claiming that the staff of the juvenile home trained those children for criminal activities and also that police officer violated the Juvenile Justice Act, by detaining and punishing the minor boy.

Following this case the high court decided to construct a special committee for handling the

situation and also rendering awareness of the Juvenile Justice Act and the order is pending in the court.

These children are not only tortured by the police officers but also by the staff in the juvenile home.

J B Antony, working with child rights, said: “Often there are cases of children committing suicide out of frustration in juvenile homes.

“This is mainly because they are tortured mercilessly. The children themselves often bully the newcomers.”

Most of these children go for pick-pocketing, stealing and for selling tickets in black outside theatre, said Mr. Rao. Mr. Rao said: “A large network is laid by the underworld groups to grab these minors and use them for fulfilling their criminal motives. There is a huge tie between the civil authority and these rogues.”

He added: “There is lack of social awareness. Parents and society are solely responsible to motivate children to distance themselves from a life of crime.

“To protect these children, we conduct various awareness programs like street plays. Many NGO’s like ECHO, APSA, Paraspara are actively working on controlling the problem.”

Integrated Child Protection Scheme has newly been implemented in Karnataka state.

It is hoped that with the implementation of this new scheme the system will be able to run in a proper order. “Through this scheme it is learned that the police officers will be given proper knowledge on JJ Act and also all measures would be taken to protect child rights,” said Mr. Rao.

Number of dowry cases rise

raj, a B Tec student from North Karnataka.

Bangaloreans may project their city to be the one of best in the country-barring a few exceptions-but that idea is far from reality. The survey shows that it is one of the tolerable cities to reside in India.

Photo: Urmi Sengupta

ADVOCATES claims that city police officers “make huge profits from the money stolen by the children and receive 50% share of the stolen amount.”

“Every month nearly seven cases of juvenile crime are usually registered in our office,” said the Director of Child Rights Trust, Mr. Nagasimha G Rao. He explained that child migration from other cities to Bangalore has been the main reason behind the issue.

The number of juvenile delinquents has also increased with the rise of criminal activities in the city.

Mr. Rao said: “Every day about 18 children enter the city from other parts of the nation in search of jobs. These children mostly are aged between 10-15 years.”

He added: “Recently we retrieved nearly 16 children from Bangalore Majestic Railway Station.

“They are from various parts of the country, and are here in search of jobs.

“These children, if not rescued, would definitely have been abused by the rogues or criminal gangs in the city.”

A Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) official said: “Ms. Nina P Nayak, the former chairperson of played even a greater role in bringing out the true colours of the police officers who are equally responsible for handling juvenile cases.

Following the incident she asked the police commissioner to conduct an enquiry on that particular police officer’s conduct.

Photo: Priyanka Roy

By Priyanka Roy

The police sometimes do not lodge cases against dowry victims.

By Urmi Sengupta

“There’s a great scope and opportunity for small scale business too, in Bangalore, given the increase of population every minute” - Manoj

CRIME related to dowries have increased rapidly in the past five years.

According to the statistics provided by the Karnataka Women and Child Development Department, the rate of dowry related crimes between 2007 and 2012, inflicted by husbands and also by the in-laws, have risen from 2129 to 3712 cases.

Shailaja, a counsellor of Vidyaranya Education and Development Society said: “Crimes related to dowry is a burning issue in the society. Many women are victims of these cases.”

She added: “Many women come to our NGO complaining against their in-laws. We provide them with counselling and help them return to normal life. We also try to provide them with jobs so that they can earn on their own and don’t have to depend on others. ”

“It is not that dowry related crimes only happens in the homes of the underprivileged, it happens in every part of the society,” she added.

Savitha, a housewife said: “During the time of my marriage, my husband’s family demanded a bike and a washing machine.

This demand was met but even after marriage they have been demanding for many things and kept on torturing me. They even tried to burn me when I was cooking in the kitchen.”

She continued: “There are two kinds of torture a women faces, physical and mental. Burn cases, poisoning cases and physical abuse are very common methods of torture.”

She also said: “There are cases which have been going on for the past 10 years. So many women don’t want to file a case.

Most of the time the police don’t want to lodge the complaint. ”

December 06, 2012

Central Government’s negligence keeps India’s scientific research in lurch

Photo: Vintu Augustine

van, the BJP office at Malleswaram.

The meeting was attended by all the presidents and vice presidents of various cells of BJP in Bangalore.

“Dr. Ambedkar won the hearts of people by being one of them and by standing by their side at all points of time, and not just by supplying financial gains to them,” said Mr.Santosh G addressing leaders of SC Morcha, Bangalore.

He added: “What is required is an authentic transformation of the leaders from money mindedness to social service, and upliftment that would remove corruption and involve social justice.”

The meeting was intended to prepare the wing leaders for the next elections, so that they can follow in the footprints of Dr. Ambedkar and ensure victorty for the party in the state.

Mr. Gangadhar, President of Scheduled Tribes Morcha said that this event was also oriented to instruct the different cell leaders of the party well ahead of the next election.

Santosh G; State General Secretary of BJP addressed a gathering on the 56th death anniversary Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

By Sidharth Sekhar & Amrita Ray CENTRAL government’s reticence to encourage scientific research has left India lagging behind other nations.

Prof. C.N.R Rao said that Karnataka is the only state in India which has always encouraged science.

He also contributed his insight on nanotechnology and innovations by key nations in that field.

He praised the state government for their continuous support all through these years.

Mr. Rao added: “Israel has achieved a major breakthrough in curing breast cancer cells by using Nano particles. This experiment is in its trial period.”

He discussed tissue engineering and added that a seven degree burn can be treated by tissue engineering.

Mr.Rao lauded Karnataka as it was the only state to have implemented this form of engineering.

The fifth edition of Bangalore Nano was organised by various departments of science and technology in association with the Karnataka State Government.

The event was conducted under the supervision of Vision Group on Nanotechnology led by Prof. C.N.R. Rao. The conference was inaugurated by eminent scientist Mr. K. Kasturirangan, Member (science), Planning commission.

Mr. Kasturirangan said: “Nanotechnology in India is still in its infancy and for any scientific breakthrough proper planning and investment is required and unfortunately our government still needs to do a lot more to keep pace with the changing trends in

Innovative student challenge ends; winners announced THE National Students Challenge organized by Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) ended today with the announcement of the winning teams.

The grand finale of the National Students Challenge: Transforming Urban India took place in IIHS campus. The six teams came up with innovative proposals for solving various problems.

Two teams talked about low cost housing for slum dwellers and solid and dry waste management. One of them proposed a mobile app for connecting with blood donors.

Two teams from NNIMS University Mumbai put forth very innovative ideas. One proposed a model for foldable chairs for children sitting on floor in schools.

Another team discussed about a collapsible cycle made from recycled products.

All the ideas were highly appreciated by the jury members.

The jury members were Toine Van Megen, founder-member of Auroville’s Renewable Energy Group on Urban Renewable energy, Devaki Jain, Development economist and activist, Ravichandar V., Rehana Jhabvala, chairperson of SEWA BHARAT and Srikanth Nadhamuni, head of technology, UID Authority of India.

The National Student Chal-

According to the Head of program for working professionals, Mr. Satish Sevalkar, there are a number of challenges which are faced by urban planners and managers.

We train students deal with challenges related to cities and towns like health, sanitation, population and so on.

After the semi finals six best teams were selected to present their proposals in front of a grand jury comprising of corporate from various backgrounds.

The three best teams got a grant of Rs. 300,000 for implementing it in a project related to their proposal.

IIHS has asked the government to sanction their proposal of building The National University for research and innovation.

Photo: Pyusha Chaterjee

By Pyusha Chaterjee

lenge is a competition which is designed to prepare the youth to face challenges and come up with possible solutions.

Last year it was organized it the name of ‘Sankranti 2011.’

This year 527 teams from 23 states all over India had registered for the event, of which 26 teams were selected and mentored for a month by various institutions like Mentor partner, Ahemadabad, The Indus Entrepreneurs, (TIE) Bangalore and so on. The students were trained by subject matter experts to find solutions to the problems stated in their proposals.

IIHS is a prospective National Innovation University where students are taught to plan and manage issues related to cities and towns.

Jury at the National Students Challenge, IIHS.

Photo: Sidharth Shekhar

By Vintu Augustine

Kasturirangan appealed the youth to invest their time and energy in scientific research and innovations science and technology.”

Prof. Richard Friend gave his He cited many examples that opinion on the present and future how America and other European of Nanotechnology. countries have achieved greatly He said: “In the current scein this field. nario science is a global business He urged the youth to show on which development of any interest in science and said that country depends, we were a nagovernment should increase tion of knowledge but we didn’t funds for various projects which apply it in practicality. Today we are important. have 50,000 hi-tech companies Involvement of the younger and jobs.” generation would help in develBangalore Nano National oping innovative ideas in this Award was presented to Prof. field.

G.U. Kulkarni, JNCASR ( JawaBangalore Nano featured an har Lal Nehru Centre for Adexhibition and conference ses- vanced Scientific Research). sions addressed by internationThe selection was done by a ally acclaimed speakers and special jury under the chairmanexperts. It will enable experts, ship of Prof. C.N.R. Rao. scientists, researchers, industry A range of topics pertaining to and start-ups to meet and ex- Research, Technology Developchange notes on tomorrow’s nan- ment, Skills Requirement, Risks otechnology.

Issues, Regulatory & GoverProf. Richard Friend, FRS, nance Structure, Investment and Cavendish Laboratory lauded the collaborations between Academefforts of the state government ics and industry were discussed . for encouraging this initiative.

They have tentatively decided “Bangalore is a global centre to set up a nanotech lab in Chenof invention,” he said. nai soon.

Psychological health of employees cannot be ignored

By Nikita Malusare HUMAN Resource Departments need to adapt themselves to the changing trends of globalization.

Ajay Nanvati , Managing Director of 3M- India and Srilanka, today addressed the annual H.R Conference at Bangalore at Hotel Ashok.

“When mergers and acquisitions take place almost every day it is must for H.R.department to adapt the changing environment”, said Dr.Anuradha, Senior Vice President People Development Society Generate Global Solution Centre.

She emphasised on the importance of the psychological health of employees.

“H.R. managers should not only concentrate on implementing new plans to adapt the situation but also the psychology of their employees,” she said.

Talking about transition in a corporate structure, Ms. Anuradha believes along with leadership qualities, transition managers should have qualities like listening quality, empathy and composure.

Since transition is a slow process it requires the involvement and willingness of the employee to accept the change at his workplace.

Establishing trust, open and transparent communication with employees and stake holders are the pre-requisites of change as-

Photo:Nikita Malusare

Ambedkar remembered at Bangalore University

MEMBERS of backward castes felt that the ‘reservation system’ will help remove inequality from society.

Mr. Santhosh G., the State General Secretary of BJP, was the Chief Speaker of the day and he encouraged the young leaders of the party by enumerating various character traits of Dr. Ambedkar.

Speaking about the reservation system, he said, “It is good and required to wipe away inequality in the society, but we need to focus on promoting genuine leaders who would enhance social development.”

The members of the Scheduled Caste wing of BJP met to honor Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his 56th death anniversary.

The core purpose was to enlighten and initiate the party workers in to the ideological foothold of Dr. Ambedkar who stood by the weaker section of society.

The meeting was organized by the Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha, Bangalore Urban District, in association with BBMP. It was held at Jaganatha Bha-

05

The Weekly Observer

Solomon Ravikumar, Vice President -HR,Volvo India Pvt Ltd serted Ravi Dasgupta, Vice President – Group HR Biocon Ltd. However it’s easy to talk about changes in a corporate enenvironment but when it comes to implementation it has its own concerns says Solomon Ravikumar, Vice President- HR, Volvo India Pvt Ltd. Mr. Ravikumar stressed on the participation of employees in management and development decisions.

He said: “Employees generally are superficially aware about the change.”

He added: “They do not try to understand the reason behind the new plans and its importance.

This may be due to personal concerns or unwillingness to change.”

The Daily Observer

December 06, 2012

A real education

A vibrant underwater world

Photo: Amogh Yenagi

06

Underwater photography is catching up in Bangalore.

By Hansa V

ter and after the first dive, there was no stopping me. The finest moment for me in this session was petting a moray eel and swimming with it! Thanks iReboot for a memorable experience!"

So what's next for these newly recruited underwater junkies? Vidya, software professional, said: "I have always loved adventure sports and am an active mountaineer. From the top of the skies and now to the depths of the ocean, I have discovered a wonderful new hobby and will go ahead to explore different dive spots around the world!"

The workshop started with six people and ended with six underwater photographs. Around four people expressed their wish to take the experience to the next level and get certified by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). iReboot takes pride on calling itself a life orientation company.

Established in 2008 by Mukta Darera, the company came into existence to answer the difficult question aboutwhat someone really wants to do in life. iReboot aims at helping people reconnecting with the passion or discover a new one, and drives their dream career without risking what they are already into.

Four years down the line and with over 30 weekend workshops, iReboot seems to have made its mark.

Photo: Amogh Yenagi

AN underwater photography workshop was organized recently by iReboot, a life orientation company.

The organizers claim that this is the first ever underwater photography workshop to be organized in India.

The workshop was held from the 30th of November till the 2nd of December at the Netrani Island, 15 kilometers off the coast of Murudeshwar. Six participants from Bangalore geared up to explore this unsung watery world while composing pristine underwater pictures.

Participants underwent a total of four dives, wherein they were trained in scuba diving and operating underwater cameras. They also attended theory sessions that explained the elements of underwater photography.

Trainees had rigorous sessions about understanding marine life behavior. Mahalakshmi, one of the organizers, said: “Marine life-forms are very shy and don't really appreciate foreign beings. The secret is to make them feel comfortable so that they lose their fear and express normal behaviour.”

All the participants were provided with their own underwater cameras and were guided by iReboot mentors and dive in-

structors to ensure perfect facilitation in all aspects of the workshop.

All the participants expressed very positive reviews on the workshop. Govind, a software professional from Bangalore, said: "I am hooked to underwater photography after the workshop.

I have been a swimmer all my life but deep sea diving and being with marine life forms is just too good!"

Rohit, a student, said: "I was skeptical about the experience as I am a non swimmer. But that didn't hamper my dives as I was guided by my instructor underwa-

By Kakoli Mukherjee

Govind Gorur and many other youngsters are turning to underwater photography to take their hobby to the next level.

IT was a sleepy afternoon in my native town in Assam. I was out in the market with a list of chores my mother had given me. One of the tasks was to get a dress altered at the tailor’s shop. As I watched the tailor work with his nimble fingers accompanied by the whirring sound of his sewing machine, I remember being pretty preoccupied.

A remark made by the father of one of my friends had left me thoughtful that day. My friend was one of the most brilliant students in our class and had received the District Shield for her performance in the matriculation exam. Her sister, too, was a bright kid and had been selected for the state-level Mathematics Olympiad.

Still, in a fit of rage over a petty squabble, my friend’s doctor father had said that he always regretted not having a male child.

I was further surprised to hear that such jabs were quite common in their house, where both their father and grandmother would repeatedly rue the absence of a male heir.

I had, at that time, assumed that it was only the illiterate who differentiated between men and women. I had thought that it was only the poor, who could not afford to get their daughters married, considered daughters as unwelcome additions to the family. I did not know that even the elite white-collar class, who pride themselves on being “broadminded”, suffered from the deeprooted obsession with the male child.

While I sat deep in thought, a man came up to me and offered me sweets. One of the tailors I knew said that the man offering sweets was the tea-delivery man of that area, and he was celebrating the birth of a daughter.

The very mention of the fact that he was celebrating about a daughter being born shook me out of my reverie, and I looked at the man closely. He had a slight frame, disheveled hair and teeth stained by tobacco. The vest that he was wearing was tattered at the hem, and his trousers

Rural parents want stay at home kids “I had an operation last year and now I can’t work alone. It’s better if he works with me rather than going to school in the town,” - Durgappa, a villager at the Tangolty village of Kushtagi Taluk, said this when asked about his 11-year-old son Jayappa who works with his father in the field.

Most of the villages of Kushtagi have schools till fifth standard. After that the villagers need to send their kids all the way to the town which is around eight to fifteen kilometers away from villages. Therefore most of the children don’t continue further education.

But there are a small percentage of children who continue their education further and go to higher schools and then get enrolled in the Kushtagi graduating college.

Thus the schools have not succeeded in providing primary education to the children.

Villages like Tangolty, K. Wasur, Bijikal and Sharif Nagar have schools only till fifth standard. One odd village, Bijikal, conducts classes up to 8th standard.

Malingaya Heremat, the principal of the government school in Bijikal, said that they have 100% pass out rate and the dropout rate was low.

However, under Sahrvashiksha Abhiyan, there is the concept of ‘all pass’ and so in all the schools there is a 100% pass rate.

Under Sarvashiksha Abhiyan, all the schools around the country are funded and instructed through a specific design to build the school buildings. Primary schools including the one at Bijikal which has classes till eighth standard are well made and have the facility of toilets as well as drinking water.

Some of the schools do not have desks or benches. Mallikarjuna, a panchayat member of Bijikal village, said, “We haven’t sat

on benches and the same goes for our children too. As long as the school educates the kids, it is fine.” Mid-day meal is one of the common and consistent elements in all the schools. School head teachers hire staff to cook for the children and even villagers agree that mid-day meal is a regular in schools. Hussain, one of the villagers of K. Wasur, said,

“Children get food in school but after fifth standard, we need to send them somewhere else.”

Villagers said that they get free books and meals, and also education is free for girls in the schools. But as after fifth standard children need to go to far off places for schooling, most of the villagers make their children work with them in the fields.

The Observer IIJNM PUBLICATIONS Printed by: Lotus Printers Email: editor@iijnm.org Website:http://www.iijnm.org/m edia_uploads/observer/2012_13/ For private circulation only Editor Nijhum Rudra Chief Sub-Editor Reshma Tarwani Photo Editor Krishna Prasad S

High dropout rate continues to be the bane of Kushtagi taluk.

Photo: Kakoli Mukherjee

By Debasree Purakayasta

were two inches too short.

“Is she your first child?” I asked the man, while breaking off a piece from the sweetmeat.

“No, she is my third daughter.

I have three daughters now,” he said, smiling broadly, giving me another glimpse of his yellowing teeth.

The remark took me by surprise. How could a man, who definitely did not look well-off, show so much happiness at the birth of a third daughter? In a country, where daughters are treated as liabilities even among the educated, the apparent happiness of this man left me intrigued.

“Do your daughters go to school?” I asked the man, growing more curious about the man by the minute.

“Yes, they do. My wife and I both work so that they can attend school. My elder daughter is very talented. She studies, and then also helps my wife in her grocery shop. My younger daughter, too, does stitching jobs at home and earns for herself.”

I could, in his voice, detect the same sense of pride that my father has whenever he speaks about any of my achievements.

Curiosity got the better of me and I asked him, “Aren’t you worried about the marriages of your daughters? Don’t you pine for a male child?”

“Male child?” the man asked in contempt. “I have seen men around me gambling, drinking and beating their wives. Sons leave their families and never look back. It is the daughter who looks after a family and never forgets her parents. If God wishes so, my daughters will get married.

If they do not, they will stay with us”.

The man’s speech left me dumbstruck, and suddenly, I felt happier and lighter too. The dark thoughts that were clouding my mind the whole afternoon had shifted.

As I prepared to leave, I asked him my last question – “Did you ever go to school?”

“Naah (No),” the man replied.

It was on that day I realized that in order to be truly educated, you need not be literate.

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